Project Overview

8^th grade students from the Four Rivers Charter School, in Greenfield, Massachusetts, created this book of “monologues of community cultivators.” Students studied people from their community, who both through their vocation or avocation, worked on behalf of their local communities and “gave back” to people living in their area. This product was part of a Learning Expedition on communities through history: using the lens of analyzing how individuals affect communities, students studied civilizations (required by state standards) from the perspective of how particular individuals shaped them. 

As a means for celebrating the lives and work of these “community cultivators,” students, in pairs, interviewed each person, typed up the interview, and wrote a complete transcript. From the transcript, students created a sharply edited monologue – a short memoir - of the interviewees’ words – conveying the voice and values of each of the people interviewed.

Each interview starts with a brief overview by the student, includes a beautiful digital photo of the “community cultivator” and highlights one quote from the monologue. 

Students worked with local community-members to assist in producing this book, including a woman who helped with how to do a high quality interview, a professional photographer who took the photographs and tech people who taught students how to use software to design and layout the book.

The book contains framing language by students describing the project and the larger study in which it was embedded, as well as description and reflection on the interview process.

This professional quality book was produced in part through a publishing grant. Copies of the book were given to the interviewees and were distributed around town.